Changing Things Up In The Gym

Things can get stale in the gym pretty quickly unless you change things up from time to time.

That’s why last night I ran my rider Joe Finney’s session a bit differently to normal. We were a little short on time, and Joe was a bit tired and sore from riding Moto on the weekend, so rather than going through a really structured session I decided to put the session into Joe’s hands to see how he got on.

I prescribed what I wanted to achieve in the session and wrote it on the chalk board and the rest was down to Joe, selecting what he wanted to do and when and also selecting what weights to lift for the deadlift in order to reach his 2000kg target for the session. If the session only took 20 minutes then that would be it – all finished for the night and job done! It was simply about getting a prescribed amount of work done on his terms. Here was the plan in case you can’t read my writing on the picture!

Deadlift 2000kg

Goblet Squat @20kg x 50

Press Up x 60

Get Up x 30

Mountain Climber x 100

Fat Bar Chins x 20

KB Swing @32kg x 40

This workload is within Joe’s capabilities and is neither easy or super hard for him. It will have a beneficial conditioning effect as well as the strength and power gains from the big lifts, due to the non-stop nature of the session. It took about 25 minutes of steady graft in the end.

The key message I think is that there are so many ways to get stronger, fitter and in shape for any goal. The key is to vary the training stimulus so that the body and mind do not adapt and are always kept guessing. Whichever path you take, you should be committed and you should believe in the programme and your ability to succeed. By doing this I gave Joe ownership and responsibility for his own training and self-development and this is a powerful tool for a coach to wield with his athletes. Tomorrow night we will be doing something completely different in terms of stimulus, format and outcomes. That is how you grow physically and mentally as an athlete and rider.